i use the "Mook vs..." as an homage to the tv show Chuck... but in this case, i may have a beef with the NFL Hall of Fame.
Mike Wilbon wrote that all 15 players deserved to go to the hall of fame
let's take a look on what my ballot would have looked like
1. Marshall Faulk
clearly put up some of the best numbers in the history of the game. He is one of the 3 players (Marcus Allen & Tiki Barber) to reach at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards in his career and the only one to have 12,000 yards rushing, 6,000 yards receiving.[1
Some may say his umbers are bloated, but i think of Mike Martz was smarter, he would have put up even better numbers.
Not only did he get numbers, he did win one Super Bowl, and played for some other good teams... an MVP... clearly a Hall of Famer... and the voters didn't miss it
2. Chris Carter
He has over 1,000 receptions - are you kidding me? Plus the guy was a touchdown machine. IF not for Jerry Rice, we could be talking about the best receiver in the modern era. Early in his carreer, he was kind of a problem child- problems at Ohio st and even in Philadelphia... but he became a better person and was a highlight reel and made players like Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald better...
i read that there is a bias against receivers. i don't understand it- unless it is a racism issue. Think about it- most wide receivers- good ones - are black.
In my opinion, Wide Receiver is the most skilled position. i played wide receiver - i don't make that statement because i played that position, i played that position, because i wanted to play such a vital position. Sure receivers need a decent QB, but an average QB looks great with a good WR. They take short passes and run up their yards. Was Joe Montana that great? Or did Jerry Rice make him lookgood? They make incredible catches (how abut Duante Culpepper?). Wide Receivers deserve more respect. And Chris Carter should have been an unanimous selection his first try, and somehow he's still not in...
3. Shannon Sharpe
He put up incredible numbers for a Tight End. And he won Super Bowls. And he was a talker. Really though, he was a wide receiver who played Tight End. In one way, that is a compliment- he was incredible at making plays, was fast...but he wasn't a great blocker. In College he actually was a WR. IF he was a WR he'd never be a hall of famer - one, because of the above prejudice and 2 his numbers aren't as impressive as a WR. but as a TE, his numbers were great as was his impact on the field. He should be in the HOF - and he was voted in.
4. Jerome Bettis
The Bus. He's even got a nickname. He won super Bowls. He was a goal-line presence... and he is the 5th leading rusher of all-time - top 5 of all time! That should be a lock right? Who gets in? only QBs & TE's?
5. Curtis Martin
In baseball if a player gets to 3,000 hits or 500 HR's or 300 wins- they're a lock for the HOF. i don't always agree with it. Martin wasn't super flashy- but he was consistent and a work-horse. How can a guy with that many rushing yards be left off? but he was
6. Deion Sanders
He's the one everyone was talking about last weekend. And i'm not so high on him... he said he wasn't paid to tackle... and if i was a coach i would have ran running backs toward him. i would have thrown screen pass or bubble screens- cuz the guy couldn't tackle. Though, i guess throwing screens even would be difficult to pull off against him. He was good. He was the definition of shut-down corner. He was an 8-time Pro-bowler, 2-time Super Bowl winner and once won AP Def PoY.
And he was a 2-sport star... well, maybe not star, but he did ok at baseball... even playing both a baseball game and football game the same day.
He was a pretty good football player... too put it lightly. Maybe he should be #5 or 4, maybe 3. Any way he is a Hall of Famer
7. Charles Haley
If he was a QB he'd be a lock. He won 5 Super Bowls. It has been said Games are won on the lines. And that defense wins championships. Haley led defenses of 5 winners. He recorded over 100 sacks. Maybe some of the other guys are more worthy, but i'm putting him up here. He may never get in though.
8. Willie Roaf
Offensive Linemen are usually only known for their mistakes... but those in the know, know that O-lineman are critical for team. i remember when Roaf came out for the draft and the mock drafts all had him going high for how he played against Eric Curry... i didn't understand it then b/c i was a kid, but now i know how important lineman are... he was a 11x pro-bowler. He played 13 seasons and made the pro-bowl 11 of them. That's pretty incredible. What else can a player do to get into the HOF? Still, he somehow wasn;t voted in. He may be the 3rd best on this list. seriously.
Those were my locks
9. Tim Brown
i don't really think of him as a HOF'er... but he did put up some good numbers - 100 TD's and 9 Pro-Bowls...
10. Richard Dent
another guy i don't think of as a HOFer... but he was 3rd all-time in sacks when he retired (now #6)
11. Andre Reed
i guess the recievers cancel each other out... he was such a key player for those dominant Buffalo teams
a bit out
12. Chris Doleman
i liked him when i was younger... but he's not that memorable... but he did have over 150 sacks!
- #3 all time
13. Dermonti Dawson
NFL HOF is a bit of joke... it seems like evetually everyone gets in. And sadly some deserving locks have to wait... but then again the best players in baseball history aren't in based on speculation...
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